Flying Saucer

Seems that Fitz is out of fuel.  Found a local shop though that sells the fuel and supplies I'll need.
Thanks for the advice and information on performance though. I'll start with a very little amount of fuel so it doesn't get away from me too far.

What does it do when engine quits at 200 ft. AGL?

I had one back in the day. When the engine stops, it falls. Mine never broke. But eventually I robbed it of the engine for more entertaining aircraft ( read that- Got bored!).

My plan is to run it the first time with just a little gas to see how it lifts off. Then I'm thinking about adding weights to keep it from getting too high, more of a floating to it. If I add the weights to the inside of the saucer just under the blade in the thick part it should both be low enough to keep it level and not hinder the look of it in flight. I'm thinking of a game of hot potato with a flying saucer in a field.

Flip the prop to minimize thrust. I wouldn't add weights.
JMHO.

944_Jim wrote:Flip the prop to minimize thrust. I wouldn't add weights.
JMHO.

I think that's good advice. This model was designed to use a specified propeller. Hopefully that spec./propeller is mounted on its engine. I don't know what that specified propeller should be.. but looking at various web-photos; it looks (to me..) like a 6 inch diameter propeller. If so; it would likely be a standard/tractor propeller. Cox made 6 inch diameter propellers in various pitches. I would "guess" this propeller to be a 6 inch diameter by 3 inch pitch (6"d x 3"p). This is just a guess though.

You can source other aero-propellers to do the job.. but it would be pertinent to know the original Cox specs.

The prop is attached and flipping it might be a good start once I get into it but that will only get me to a different thrust. To "fine tune" it, so that is more or less hovers, I think weights will be necessary. Hopefully less so with the inverted prop though. Thanks for the good advice.

Just my humble opinion, and certainly not wanting to be a wet blanket, but...

The problem with hovering is that you can't adjust thrust automatically. Drones use gyros to maintain a particular attitude/vector and still hunt even in mild wind.

I used to adjust fuel flow for effect, but still all I could manage was either going up barely (and most erratically), or really go up when leaned out. I could never get it to maintain a particular altitude, such that tossing it like a frisbee hoping for horizontal flight.

As the engine spins one way, the body will spin the other way. There is no "anti-torque" to this thing. And as the body spins, so does the fuel in the little pancake tank. So much that even that can affect flight.

I recommend (based on 40 year old memories) that you find a wide-open space, short-tank the toy, and watch it behave as intended...at least a few times. Even in it's intended manner, this thing can be entertaining...just like flying rags.
Then progress to playing with weights and such.

I would never recommend tossing it "hot-potato" or frisbee to even the most brave of your buddies to catch it. Not without finger screens top and bottom.

That's why the engine got salvaged for control line later on.

Play on, Brother! Post videos.

It's funny that you talk about anti torque. Those fins just under the prop are actually meant to do the opposite. They spin the saucer in the direction of the torque making the saucer spin the opposite direction of the prop. That in itself actually reduces the lift slightly but makes it spin even more than if it was only from the torque.